Ride Somewhere Amazing

We're all lucky to love this sport called mountain biking. Just those two words, "mountain" and "biking" sound fantastic together. They convey a sense of adventure, sport, and beauty. Most of us live and breathe dirt, rock, dust and loam in our never ending quests to ride often and ride hard. And while we all grow to love our local trails and jumps, there truly is nothing like riding out of your comfort zone in some amazing place.

Amazing to me was somewhere south of the equator. Last fall my friend, Evan, and I packed our bikes and bags and flew all day to ride the famed trails of Peru. There is something incredibly special about a different culture. The food, the colors, the language, the smells - nothing is familiar and it's wonderful and scary at the same time. I had seen videos and photos of guys like Aaron Chase and Chris Van Dine on what looked like mountains out of a moonscape. The photos often featured peaks that were surrounded in the distance by jungles, oceans, and vibrant color as far as the eyes could see. I wanted to experience that.


You may have read about our trip in the March issue of Decline Magazine. The short version: our 10 day adventure got sidetracked by a horrific accident about halfway through, when we were riding in the Sacred Valley. Evan crashed on a jump and we spent 10 days in the hospital, quickly learning to speak spanish, and quickly learning that Peruvian medical care is amazing. Evan is recovering well. While it was definitely disappointing to end the ride early, part of our goal had been accomplished. Before his crash we were able to capture a ton of footage from the top of the world (Olleros) to the incredible urban riding of Cusco. Thanks to Big Mountain Bike Adventures and Callum Jelley for putting together this sweet little nugget of awesome from our trip.




Now that you've seen that, are you inspired? Do you want to ride something different than what you ride time and time again with your buddies? Get creative. Search places like Pinkbike and YouTube for destinations that have the type of riding and terrain you're looking for. Sometimes the most far off corners of the world may have exactly what you've been longing for. Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Costa Rica - you name it and you can probably ride it. And, don't be put off by costs. Just because the places I suggested are far, doesn't mean you have to actually go the total distance to find something new and exciting. Get in your car. Drive to Moab. Take a train to Whistler or Switzerland. You have the whole world to explore. Your job can wait. Your friends will be there when you get back. Summer is just around the corner, so school is no excuse. If your parents tell you no, tell them that you want to learn more about foreign cultures (and ride bitchin' trails!). The only thing stopping you is YOU.


Other videos from the trip:
Riding Huchuy Cusco (My single best day on a bike. Ever.)
Riding Olleros
Huchuy Cusco timelapse

For information on how you can take this trip, check out Big Mountain Bike Adventures. Getting to ride with Wayo is amazing. Don't miss out. I hear people say all the time that their biggest regret was that they didn't travel enough. Don't be like that. Start saving. Start exploring. Go ride somewhere amazing.

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